It is interesting! The faces of the company Fiat are famous racers Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen.

Gallery 1 of 14 pictures which appeared in the article: The Fiat e has far lower power and torque numbers than the Chevrolet Spark EV; yet at city.

While both cars, as with all of the all-electric vehicles currently offered on the U. Charging time on an L2 V setup will depend on whether the Leaf in question has the 6kW or 3. Limited backseat and only two doors No fast charging capability Awkward location for charging port. Drove for a couple years.

Plug-In Subcompact Comparison: Chevrolet Spark EV Vs Fiat e

The Fiat e has far lower power and torque numbers than the Chevrolet Spark EV; yet at city speeds, of below 40 mph or so, the E feels and is quicker. Given their nearly identical curb weights, the numbers would suggest the Spark being far quicker.

The Chevrolet Spark EV is rated at horsepower and—as Chevy has been pushing in ads—an astonishing pound-feet of torque; and as Chevrolet boasts, it's available from zero rpm. Meanwhile, the motor system in the E makes horsepower and lb-ft. Yet this past week, we were able to jump into one after the other at a Portland media ride-and-drive meetup called Drive Revolution, and the e felt so unmistakably quicker at low speed than the much boasted-about, pound-feet Spark EV.

Sure enough, in instrumented testing, Car and Driver found the same—that the e is quicker than the Spark EV to 30 mph 2. To 60 mph, however, the Spark EV pulls about a half-second ahead; that's something we would have guessed as well. We decided to ask Fiat e chief engineer and former engineering lead for Chrysler's ENVI electric prototypes Brett Giem why the weaker e is clearly quicker.

According to Giem, there's one elementary term that electric-car owners tend to forget about: And that results in—at least some situations—wheel torque that's quite competitive, even though the e's numbers don't suggest it.

While both cars, as with all of the all-electric vehicles currently offered on the U. Giem said that the only disadvantage of using a lower reduction gear, as in the e is that you become limited in your top speed; the e has a maximum of 88 mph, and it's because the engineers put a 12,rpm limiter on the motor.

And, explained Giem, the right ratio is what keeps the engine in its most efficient sweet spot at 40 mph. According to Giem there's a secondary reason, that the Spark EV doesn't feel as quick as its torque ratings suggest. That's because, in order to keep the Chevy safe at launch and at very low speed it's far more torque than a front-drive subcompact like the Spark could ever handle , they extremely limited torque delivery at lower speeds.

Meanwhile, the Fiat team assured that, given the motor and the ratio, that they wouldn't need to put an electronic 'cap' on torque. And as Giem explained, that's a big part of what makes the e fun to drive.

There are some analogies to be drawn here to vintage cars and their simpler transmissions; just as you'd want the right cam profile and the right drive ratio, the same goes for electric cars.

More than we thought. Test Ride Yet this past week, we were able to jump into one after the other at a Portland media ride-and-drive meetup called Drive Revolution, and the e felt so unmistakably quicker at low speed than the much boasted-about, pound-feet Spark EV. Tesla Halts Model S Assembly, Prepares For Model X Giem said that the only disadvantage of using a lower reduction gear, as in the e is that you become limited in your top speed; the e has a maximum of 88 mph, and it's because the engineers put a 12,rpm limiter on the motor.